


Only For You

by PreseaMoon



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 01:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17736044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PreseaMoon/pseuds/PreseaMoon
Summary: i am practicing things??also this is like 80% gen





	Only For You

**Author's Note:**

> i am practicing things??
> 
> also this is like 80% gen

Over the last few years Hakuyuu has come to the conclusion that sleep is the best thing about peacetime. Objectively—as the crown prince of an empire in its infancy—there are facets more deserving of that accolade. Peace itself is the most obvious. The unity of their three myopic and uncompromising countries was nigh miraculous. Sometimes it feels like a blink is all it will take to return them to that sea of gore, that it never left.

After all, that was their fate, to inflict carnage while simultaneously lamenting it. If some deep rooted grudge ever existed it was long lost to time. Not that the cause was of much consequence when new incursions could take its place daily. Still, they wanted something more. So, they took that senseless, bloody fate in hand, and molded it into the present they wished for.

At that time, the future didn’t exist beyond immediacy. Even with Father continuously pushing him Hakuyuu struggled to develop a concept of peace and what a world without war would look like. The best any of them could do was fight to end the things they could no longer withstand, and hope that was enough.

They didn’t consciously know they were fighting for the future, but it is perhaps the greatest gift they’ve secured. That goes for those who were once part of Gou and Gai as well, not just the people of Kou. Now, all of them have the chance to make their tomorrows have meaning, and their pasts as well.

With that, their culture has flourished in ways Hakuyuu never predicted. Even now his people continue to surprise him with their ingenuity that further benefits their country. The rebuilding they’ve done, the expansion of the government, the agricultural improvements, none of it would be possible without the people taking hold of the future they were given.

Now, one day, Hakuyuu will be an emperor rather than a king, and he’s in the midst of determining what that means. There is so much more to manage and account for. Talk of engaging in trade beyond the Tenzan Plateau is persistent, and the more they discuss it the more it feels like an actual possibility.

For all these things Hakuyuu is immeasurably grateful. He acknowledges and appreciates the sacrifices that were made to get them this far.

They are the things that give him hope, and let him know that the painful choices they made were ultimately worth it.

However, in the sweet monotony that has settled over Kou, it is the smaller things that have made peace truly exceptional.

For the first time Hakuyuu can lower his guard and simply exist.

What he thought was relaxation was really nothing more than gasping for air at a mountain’s peak.

That said, the habits war taught are engraved across his skin. From his neck to his ankles those lessons refuse to fade. They leave his fingers twitching at every unexpected sound, sometimes launching him in wakefulness no matter how deeply he sleeps. His heart races whenever it realizes the reassuring weight of his sword is not at his hip. At night he lies deathly still, feigning sleep to trick himself into loosening up.

The difference lies in that he knows he’s safe, even if his body doesn’t wholly believe it yet. So, when he wakes up scared in the middle of the night, he no longer catalogues every sound to find a disturbance. While his body tenses and positions itself to easily counter the attack it knows is coming, his mind blanks to better ride out the adrenaline. And once he does, all that’s left for him is unfamiliar drowsiness that leaves his surroundings a blur. That should be terrifying, but somehow it tugs him into unconsciousness every time.

Morning after morning all that awaits him are meetings and paperwork. Neither he particularly looks forward to. So on the days where he can get away with it, sometimes Hakuyuu lets himself be swept away by the temptation to stay in bed. Usually that means lounging lazily in the warmth of his blankets, but every now and then it will take him to pleasant dream.

With unspeakable greed all his favorite dreams feature Kouen at the center. It’s only fair, since they used to be the dreams he dreaded most of all.

In the sweetest ones, Kouen takes Hakuyuu’s hands and guides them to his body as though they share one mind. Lacking urgency, he asks to be touched, and Hakuyuu has no fear of obliging.

He holds him in his arms and…

And Kouen is not this small. Not anymore.

In fact, Kouen was never this small.

Upon realizing he’s not as asleep as he thought, Hakuyuu groans. Though, the sound is so thick it’s barely audible. He swallows and tries to twist his body, only for it to be immediately blocked by the weight pressed against his side. He forces his eyes open, and blinks hard in the darkness of his room.

He already knows, but still looks down to confirm the slight bump in his blanket. After a few more blinks to rouse himself and a yawn, he pulls back the blanket to reveal none other than his baby brother, who looks up at the exposure and blinks at him.

Not having expected him to be awake, Hakuyuu blinks back. He opens his mouth despite not having anything to say, and after a moment yawns again.

“Big Brother,” Hakuryuu says with a voice so thin it’s as if he thinks he’ll break the air if there’s any weight to it.

Hakuyuu pulls him up so he can rest his head on a pillow. Wrapping an arm around he asks, “Tonight is?” He speaks softly, but compared to his brother his voice practically echoes in the stillness of the room.

“Bad dream.”

“I see.” Hakuyuu leans forward to tap his forehead against him. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“No.”

“Will you tell me if it was scary?”

“It was scary.”

Hakuyuu nods and clears his throat. “It was brave of you to make it all the way here.”

Hakuyuu has no idea how Hakuryuu eludes the servants and guards who would return him to his room. Perhaps in the face of having to comfort their difficult to console prince, they let him do as he pleases so long as it doesn’t include disturbing His and Her Majesty.

“Can I stay?” Hakuryuu pouts at him only a little bit.

Really, Hakuyuu is supposed to send him back. The first dozen times this happened his attendants were in utter panic to find him missing from his bed in the morning. They still are. The difference is that, now, they check with all them before raising the alarm. Obviously that’s not what they prefer, since if Hakuryuu had been kidnapped if would delay their response considerably.

Hakuyuu understands that, but it’s kind of too much to ask of a big brother isn’t it?

Hakuyuu pulls him into a hug. “Of course. As your big brother, my job is to protect you.”

“Even from bad dreams?”

“Especially from bad dreams.”

“But how?”

“Falling asleep in my arms now means I can be there to protect you in your dream.”

“Who will protect you, though?”

“I will protect myself, of course. Your warning will allow me to do so.”

“Hmm. But...”

“Baby brother, won’t you please sleep? Don’t you want to be well rested for your lessons in the morning?”

“I am not a baby.”

“I know.”

“Then why did you say?”

Hakuyuu is growing more awake with every word. At the rate Hakuryuu is going he won’t fall back asleep at all. He’ll be left cradling baby brother to sleep and running through proposals in his head until daylight comes.

“Hakuryuu,” he coos and pushes their foreheads together for the briefest moment. “It’s safe to sleep, I promise. I am right here.” He puts a hand to the back of his brother’s head and guides him to his chest, near his heart. Before Hakuryuu can say anything he shushes him in a soft rhythm, slowing his breathing as he does.

It’s meant to lull him to sleep, or at the very least into slowing down. His little brother has a quick and creative mind coupled with an undue amount of anxieties for his age. He wants reassurance, but struggles to accept it once he has it. It’s like he can tell it’s been given on the basis of placating him, so for that reason it’s suspect. That means he requires even more reassurance, and the cycle continues until he eventually feels satisfied.

The process can be tiring enough during the day. At this time of night it’s only going to devolve into Hakuyuu repeating “because I said so” until either Hakuryuu gives up or Hakuyuu passes out in the middle. Passing out is probably not going to yield the best reaction.

Pulling him to his chest works well enough, because Hakuryuu snuggles close, ear to his heart, and doesn’t ask him anything.

So he falls asleep with that warmth bundled close, and wakes up several hours later with Hakuryuu still in his arms.

Birds chirp outside, so loud it’s nearly a shriek. When he lifts his head there are stray streaks of tinted light stretching across the room. Nothing has been set out for him yet, but it shouldn’t be much longer. If he listens closely he can hear faint movement in the hall, guards making their rounds.

As he lies there soaking in the slight breeze wafting in through the window, Hakuryuu stirs in his arms. Hakuyuu watches as he nuzzles his chest and stretches. This is the look of a little boy who’s had a very contented rest.

“Big Brother, are you awake?” Hakuryuu looks directly at him without any hint of sleep in his face.

Hakuyuu breathes in deeply and shrugs. Not really. He means to say that out loud, but then his vocal chords neglect to catch up. He takes another breath and says, “No bad dreams?”

Hakuryuu shakes his head.

“See? Big Brother protects you in your dreams.”

“Yes,” Hakuryuu trails off and looks away. He’s about to ask if something’s wrong, but then Hakuryuu says, “I’m hungry.”

“Okay. I am not.”

“But I am.”

Hakuyuu opens his eye a sliver. “Get food, then.”

“But. Big Brother…”

“If you need an escort, any of the servants you find will be happy to take you. They won’t say no.”

In response Hakuryuu gives a small whine, but that is not going to work on him. Of the situations where Hakuyuu does not mind playing the role of servant, escorting his baby brother to his room to get dressed and then to breakfast isn’t one of them. Or, not when it’s first thing in the morning anyway. In a good half hour or so he should be able to make himself do it. 

Hakuryuu pouts and whines some more, but he’s playing it up without any real effort to change the outcome. Very slowly he crawls to the edge of the bed. He understands the decision has been made and isn’t going to push, but neither is he going to pretend to be pleased.

Sometime after that Hakuyuu is woken up again, not even realizing he fell back asleep in the first place. This time it is his attendants. They’ve brought him breakfast and selected a set of robes for him that he deems acceptable. While he eats, they brush his hair and pull it back into a neat, perfect topknot, followed by his headpiece. They also run him through his schedule for the day. Meetings. More meetings. Proposals to evaluate. Court. A meeting with His Majesty towards the end of the day to discuss if anything should be brought to his attention.

No training. Training hasn’t been part of his schedule for months now. Maybe if one of his meetings ends early he can slip away and… Who is he kidding. If he finishes early the last thing on his mind will be physical activity. Who is there for him to even spar with? The best he can get away with is light, personal exercise, which he’s allotted time for anyway.

Once he’s finished eating he drags himself to his feet to let his attendants help him into the layers of his robes and align them properly. Before long he looks like a perfectly presentable crown prince ready to tackle his duties. Rather than sleepy, his attire enables his expression to take on a more bored edge.

His day starts off slow. Right away Hakuyuu can tell the sluggish pace will seep all the way through to the day’s end. It used to be that keeping engaged was easy. The government was being restructured while they were also in the process of developing and managing newly acquired land. Keeping up with the internal changes, new titles, and who was in charge of what was a challenge he met eagerly. Back then, everything felt imperative, and Hakuyuu was determined to not fall behind.

That, however, faded as years wore on. The priority these days is to keep things running smoothly and on the path to improvement. Of those, the former is particularly difficult, and it’s only been during the past two years that Hakuyuu has come to recognize just how trying politics truly can be. There is always someone who disagrees to an uncompromising extent. Multiple individuals and factions look to get ahead without consideration to the greater scope of the Empire. Everyone thinks they deserve this rank or that land or a concession they haven’t earned. For the most part they aren’t shy about asking, either, because for many of them, they fought together in the war. 

There is frustration and resentment, because peace has fundamentally altered the essence of their way of life. During the war, an individual could rise to greatness through strength alone. That is no longer the case, and prior greatness only goes so far when there isn’t cunning to accompany it. As a consequence, equality among the people has shifted more dramatically than it ever did during the war. The addition of the people who were once part of Gou and Gai only complicates that.

Then, there’s the fact that the royal family now feels as far away as they’ve always been. When the three of them stood with their people on the front line it created an illusion of proximity. They shared in victories and losses as comrades. They did what was necessary to keep morale up in the darkest times. As a result, they were humanized, but that bond was an impression that could only fade.

The things Hakuyuu did, talking about little things, telling stories, laughing with them, that was as much for himself as it was for them. They were the tether reminding him that he was not only a soldier. As grateful as he is for that, he can only recall a handful of names that may or may not match the right face. There are innumerable men he fought beside whose fates he doesn’t know. That’s just the way things are.

It’s understood, but that doesn’t stop emotions from interfering when his people are trying to make new lives for themselves. It doesn’t stop people from feeling they deserve more. It certainly doesn’t stop people from trying to leverage that closed history to their advantage.

That alone makes being the crown prince far more stressful than it was before. Every decision he makes feels like a murkier shade of grey. Consequences ripple months and years down the line, so finely it often takes intense scrutiny to even locate the initial spark.

Perhaps politics was always this way, but somehow there was less pressure when hundreds and thousands of lives were in his hands. Making a choice was easier to justify when it was in the name of their continued existence.

Of course, it’s not as if Hakuyuu is making these decisions on his own. Most of them he doesn’t have the final say, but His Majesty always gives his input weight. If their opinions differ, His Majesty wants to explore that so they may come to the decision that’s best for Kou.

Both of them are learning how to rule an empire. That means mistakes will be made, and only together can they carve out the way forward.

Hakuyuu imagines the stress he feels is only a fraction of what His Majesty experiences. When the war after lifetimes His Majesty’s hair was solid black. After five years of peace there’s now grey blooming at his temples. That really says it all.

His own hair is still dark as it was back then, but he automatically checks for silver streaks nearly every time he catches his reflection. It’s completely indulgent, since most of the time he’s more bored than stressed.

Peace is defined by tedium. That’s a good thing. He just didn’t know it was possible for him to get tired of reading.

For hours, from the moment he enters his office until noon, Hakuyuu is reading proposals and writing notes. Three hours in and he’s taking breaks to rest his hand, but really it’s his eyes that need to be anywhere else. At four hours he’s making more errors in his notes, scratching out characters at best and discarding the entire parchment at worst. When he hits five hours the words are blurring so much that rereading doesn’t make them any clearer.

Taking a short break doesn’t help, and ultimately he drops his head to the desk in defeat.

An echo of Hakuren’s voice calls out from the recesses of his mind that sitting at his desk with his head down is not a break.

If he’s going to do subpar work, he shouldn’t do any work.

None of this is dire. He can come back to it later.

Hakuyuu sits up and rubs his neck. With a sigh he exits his study and heads for the nearby garden. The sun beats down and his robes capture all of its heat. Despite that he takes a seat on a bench that only provides shade for his head. The fragrant smell of the nearby flowers is too much to pass up, except it ends up making him acutely aware of the pressure at the back of his head.

He holds back a groan and presses the back of his hand to his forehead. Reading should not cause this much exhaustion. There was once a time where he read for pleasure. He doesn’t remember when he last did.

If he goes to any meetings like this he won’t listen to a word they say. If he goes to court like this he might as well not be there at all. 

Hakuyuu beckons over a servant passing through when he sees one, and requests they bring tea to his study.

In the meantime he stretches and walks through the garden to get his blood flowing. All it does is make him want to sit down and rest his head against a cool column.

The tea ends up helping more, although it isn’t immediate. He sips at it while staring at the proposal on top. Something about trade routes and he already doesn’t want to read it fully. Just looking at the ink strokes makes his head throb.

He downs the rest of his tea, ignoring its heat, and forces himself to go through the remainder of the proposals. For good measure, he then reads through all his notes to ensure he expressed himself clearly and without error.

With that done he has a large chunk of time until his next meeting. Supposed free time, but he needs to order something to eat before doing anything else.

He makes his way towards the kitchens, passing various advisors, nobles, and attendants on his way. All stop whatever they’re doing to bow when he’s near, but otherwise do not engage with him.

After making his selection he takes a seat at a nearby bench where he can watch but remain out of the way. His mere presence is a distraction. If he’s out of hearing range they’ll still behave differently, but it won’t be in an obviously obsequious way.

It’s peaceful, if a little lonely. 

Then, after a seemingly appropriate amount of time has passed, an advisor who has been eyeing him since he entered approaches.

They make idle small talk while the advisor takes the most indirect route to the reason why he’s here. He comments on how recently built cities are progressing and expresses approval towards His Majesty’s current ambitions with their land. Then things shift closer, to the fields directly supporting Rakushou, and then to Rakushou itself, their people outside the palace and within. That bleeds into asking how Hakuyuu’s duties specifically have been going of late.

This leads to the advisor stating, “Your Highness is now twenty-four.” There’s a pointedness to his voice as if he’s done something other than state a fact.

“I am. Is something significant meant to happen this year?”

“His Majesty wed your mother in his twenty-fourth year.” Now, there is a subtle expectant look accompanying his tone.

So that’s what this is about. Hakuyuu tilts his head, scanning the room for a potential escape but finding none. Looking back, Hakuyuu says, “Yes, he did.”

There’s a pause, as if the advisor expects him to indulge this conversation on his own. “It would be prudent for Your Highness to consider the same.”

“There’s no need to rush.”

To say Hakuyuu has been avoiding marriage is an exaggeration, but he has certainly neglected it in favor of other duties. Producing heirs wasn’t on his mind during the war, and with the current state of Kou it’s only drifted farther away. Since it wasn’t ever brought up, he didn’t think it was a priority for His Majesty either.

“There’s no need to rush,” the advisor repeats placidly. “That is true. But there’s less reason to put it off.”

It’s not as if Hakuyuu doesn’t want children. In fact, he looks forward to it. It’s just...

“Your Highness is fond of distractions these days.”

Hakuyuu blinks in surprise.

The advisor sneaks a glance at him, and then at Kokuton on the other side of the room. “I do not mean to imply it is a bad thing. On the contrary, for a man of Your Highness’s stature they can be quite important. The one you’ve chosen is... convenient, all things considered. It is simply that it can be easy to get carried away with distractions.”

“And do you believe I’ve gotten carried away?”

Three beats pass, which is all the answer Hakuyuu needs. 

“It is not my place to comment on Your Highness’s activities.”

“Aren’t you already?”

“My intent is only to inform.”

“Then, please. Inform me. Speak freely.” He smiles, and can tell from the neutral mask that slips into place that the advisor believes a misstep has been made. “I genuinely want to know if it’s believed I have overstepped.”

“If anyone has overstepped it is me.” He takes a breath at Hakuyuu’s expectant look. “It is simply that it would be wise for Your Highness to proceed with forethought. Many nobles have daughters they hope will catch Your Highness’s eye. That doesn’t happen, and so, they approach His Majesty.” He pauses, thinking, and with another brief at Hakuyuu says, “His Majesty has been hearing them out more than he used to.”

“Is that so.”

“It is well known that Your Highness does not want to be careless when it comes to selecting a bride. Some grow impatient.”

In other words, His Majesty. Hakuyuu had no idea. Father wouldn’t choose for him, at least Hakuyuu doesn’t think he would. If they’re going to be discussing it, though, it’s best Hakuyuu approaches the conversation with talking points already thoroughly dissected.

“I see. Thank you for your honesty. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He stands up and makes like he’s seen the servant tending to him, walking away before the advisor has time to bow.

It’s too obvious, but he retreats back to his study. That leaves a servant to deliver his meal to him when it’s ready. Looking at it, Hakuyuu couldn’t have less of an appetite. He ends up picking at it and ultimately pushing it aside. In its place, he opens one of the bottles of wine in his study and takes a long drink from it. The initial wave of warmth is made hotter by his empty stomach, and he finds himself staring ahead at nothing.

So, in the nothingness, he goes to seek out his distraction.

It’s easy to do, because Kouen’s schedule is predictable. Hakuyuu always knows where to find him, even when he isn’t where he’s supposed to be.

At this time he should be training, and that’s exactly where Hakuyuu finds him.

Kouen is sparring with a soldier Hakuyuu doesn’t recognize. From the way he keeps up with Kouen’s pace he can’t be a newer recruit. The soldiers present observe with a casual scrutiny that suggests this isn’t out of the ordinary. That said, Hakuyuu can tell it isn’t equal. While the soldier meets each of Kouen’s blows with his own, it clearly takes more effort. Some hits are met with a last second block that throws off his rhythm.

Kouen is ever a distinguished warrior of Kou.

In the years since the war he has only grown fiercer, more refined. He was always very skilled, but his technique used to be defined by passion. Provoking him into making an exploitable error was almost too easy. His body would act before his head caught up, and you could see the realization in his eyes as he was brought to the ground or the blade lined up with his neck. Even when he knew it was coming, his body couldn’t help but react.

But that’s no more. Hakuyuu can tell just from watching his spars. There’s a composure in his stance that was never present before. He’s in a completely different headspace.

Maybe Hakuyuu could get the upper hand, but it’d be through utilizing an unfair advantage he possesses by default.

The soldier manages to catch Kouen off guard with a feint he’s quick to take capitalize on. He positions his body to tackle him to the ground, but Kouen moves with the hit. When the soldier makes his move, it’s quickly countered, Kouen using the momentum to end up on top when they fall to the ground. At first the soldier struggles, looking for any weakness in the hold, but Kouen increases the pressure until defeat is conceded.

Their round finished, Hakuyuu walks forward and makes his presence known by clapping. “That was a nice takedown, Kouen.”

There are exclamations of “Your Highness” from those present as they jump to attention and bow. Kouen, as well, who moves a little slower than the others and keeps his head bowed a few second longer.

In response to the unasked question, Hakuyuu says, “I ended up with a free moment. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Because they would never dream of saying otherwise, numerous men are quick to assure him that his presence is more than welcome. The only one who says nothing is Kouen, who looks away suddenly shy, when Hakuyuu looks his way.

“I was wondering if I could borrow Kouen. Something came up that I need to discuss with him. It shouldn’t be long.”

Kouen’s household exchanges split-second glances, but Hakuyuu ignores it. He also ignores the conflicting emotions that flit across Kouen’s face.

Hakuyuu doesn’t envy the position he’s put Kouen’s in, but neither of them can really help themselves. Even this display is more for themselves than an actual effort towards decorum.

“Of course, Your Highness,” Kouen says. He takes a step forward, and then looks down at his rumpled clothes, the dirt on his hands. “Should I…?”

“You’re fine as you are.” And Hakuyuu turns to leave without waiting for him.

As they make their way Kouen keeps a mindful distance between them. Too mindful, even. His steps aren’t as even and steady as they’re supposed to be, consciously staggering their paces like being in sync will give them away. If Hakuyuu stops or slows to close the distance, Kouen unerringly follow suit.

That he tries so hard to be discreet can be endearing, but Hakuyuu kind of wants to ask who he’s meant to be fooling. For what purpose? It’s acceptable and expected for Kouen to be devoted to him. Hakuyuu sharing in that is what complicates things.

“Where are we headed, Your Highness?”

“My study.”

The moment the door is closed behind them Hakuyuu wraps Kouen up in a hug. Sweat and earth cling to his skin, and Hakuyuu finds the scent soothing. Leaning into him it’s almost overpowering, making his head float and his legs unsteady. Then, Kouen’s arms go around his waist to effortlessly support him.

One of Kouen’s hands snakes up his back, finding its way to his nape. He toys with the stray strands of hair and strokes his skin. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course. What wouldn’t be?”

Kouen pulls away to read his expression. His hand trails to the side of Hakuyuu’s neck and then up to cup his jaw. “I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”

“I’m fine.” This answer displeases Kouen, who frowns but doesn’t challenge it. The frown deepens when Hakuyuu attempts batting his eyelashes and smiling. He turns his head to kiss Kouen’s palm. “I wanted to see you.”

“I thought you had something to discuss with me?”

Hakuyuu kisses Kouen’s wrist. Down to the crook of his elbow. There, he rocks forward and leans his head against Kouen’s chest.

“Hakuyuu?”

Hakuyuu stands up straight abruptly and takes Kouen by the arm. “Come.” He drags him over to the sofa he had constructed just for them and sits him down. Then, he follows after, lying against his chest. “I want to relax. For just a little while. With you.”

“We can. For as long as you’d like.”

“Even into the evening?”

Kouen holds his breath for a moment before releasing it. He ghosts his hands over Hakuyuu’s upper body, searching out the openings in his robes. “Of course. But what about your schedule? You aren’t done for the day already, are you?”

Hakuyuu hums.

“There’s really nothing you want to tell me?” Kouen gives him a little squeeze and Hakuyuu tilts his head back to look up at him.

“Like what? Is there something you would like to hear, Kouen?”

Kouen lets out the sigh he’s been holding back. “I will hear whatever Your Highness has to say.”

Hakuyuu really needs to stop baiting him, but they are not going to talk about his looming marriage. Whenever the topic comes up all they do is talk in circles as if it’s a years off nonissue. They say all the things they’re supposed to say without addressing if they mean it or not. 

It’s not like Hakuyuu can’t have Kouen anymore after he marries, but… that’s a small part of the problem.

He reaches his hands up to Kouen’s face and lightly pinches his warm cheeks. “You are very cute. And I like you too much.”

There they go. The worried exasperation has been replaced with a far more suitable look of bewilderment. “Ah… Have you been drinking, Hakuyuu?”

“Hardly. A glass. Not even a glass. The bottle is…” He sits up and spots it on his desk, gestures in its general vicinity. “There. Would you like some?”

“Isn’t it too early for that?”

“Are you planning on tattling on me to my tutors?”

“Never, Your Highness.”

“It’s fine, then. And I won’t tell if you won’t.” Hakuyuu twists in Kouen’s arms to kiss him deeply, letting himself get lost in the heat of Kouen’s mouth and weight of his hands. When he pulls away he keeps Kouen’s bottom lip between his teeth for as long as he can. Their eyes meet as it breaks free, and without thinking he rushes back in for another kiss.

Kouen moans into the kiss, already needy, his hands pulling at Hakuyuu’s robes but hesitating to commit. The only thing holding him back is the pedestal he’s put Hakuyuu on.

Hakuyuu pulls away from him with too much force, almost stumbling but Kouen’s grip on his sash keeps him steady. As his hands overlap with Kouen’s they look at each other. Just like that everything on their minds before the kiss evaporates. In the haze of desire that begins to settle, it occurs to Hakuyuu how much he favors it this way. No complications and no drama. Just the two of them.

That’s a shallow reality defined by their self-interest and nothing else, but entertaining it isn’t the same as considering it. 

Hakuyuu doesn’t have any illusions about his future, so in this one area, he lets himself pretend it isn’t there.

He takes a long drink from the bottle of wine, drops heavy into Kouen’s lap, and kisses him with all the feeling he’s been holding back.


End file.
